The Pacific Coast's 9 Most Festive Downtowns For The Holidays
The Pacific Coast celebrates the holidays in a typical West Coast style. In California, Oregon, and Washington, small downtowns transform into vibrant waterfront villages filled with maritime parades, open-air markets, and historic architecture adorned with garlands. Visitors can follow the Danish-inspired Julefest in Solvang, stroll through Monterey’s Cannery Row Holiday Tree Walk, or watch fishing boats sparkle during Newport’s Yaquina Bay Lighted Boat Parade. Farther north, Victorian Port Townsend revives 19th-century traditions with costumed tours, while island towns like Friday Harbor glow during the Island Lights Festival. From candlelit missions to oceanfront parks and working wharves, the Pacific Coast’s festive downtowns create holiday memories as vivid as their seaside settings.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea concentrates many of its holiday events and occurrences around Devendorf Park and Ocean Avenue. It is there that the formal Holiday Tree Lighting and Carmel Plaza Party brings onlookers, musicians, local non-profit booths, and children’s activities to the plaza to kick off the holiday season. After the lighting, shops in the downtown area host a Carmel Plaza Holiday Open House with extended shopping hours, in-store tastings at specialty food shops, and live instrumental performances on the plaza. Visitors can follow an official downtown walking map to spot historic cottages and then join the Carmel Bach Festival for Community Caroling. For families, the city schedules carriage rides that circulate along Ocean Avenue past lit storefronts, and local galleries often coordinate late-night receptions to showcase holiday exhibitions.
Solvang, California
Solvang, the Central Coast town (slightly inland) known for its Danish architecture, stages Julefest, a monthlong program of nightly light shows, daytime markets, and family activities. Visitors can attend the Solvang Park Tree Lighting ceremony and then linger for the nightly, hour-long light-and-music shows in the park. On market days, the Julefest Makers Market and the adjacent Solvang Farmers Market offer artisan gifts, seasonal baked goods, and locally produced cheeses and preserves.
Candlelight tours are led by costumed guides through downtown storefronts and the Elverhøj Museum of History & Art, offering a glimpse into Danish holiday traditions. A popular children’s activity, the nisse hunt, hides tiny elves throughout the village for families to find. The Solvang trolley offers short, scenic loops through the downtown area's decorated streets, and the Julefest parade features over 400 participants and 50 contingents, including parade floats, marching bands, classic cars, and costumed groups, as they march down Mission Drive and Copenhagen-inspired streets.
Monterey, California
Monterey’s downtown and waterfront have no shortage of holiday spirit. Things get festive with the Cannery Row Holiday Tree Lighting in Steinbeck Plaza, a seasonal Holiday Tree Walk of themed trees lining the waterfront, and the Brighten the Harbor Lighted Boat Parade, where yachts and small craft parade across Monterey Bay. On the same calendar, families may attend Christmas in the Adobes, an event that opens historic homes for guided tours with period decorations and docents in costume. Cannery Row offers a seasonal “toy factory” where children meet Santa inside a decorated storefront, and local restaurants present special holiday menus highlighting Monterey Bay seafood and regional wines. The city’s traditional tree lighting on the lawn of Colton Hall combines caroling, hot cider, and community performances. At the same time, the Monterey Yacht Club’s Brighten The Harbor Lighted Boat Parade creates reflections on the bay that the town markets as an accessible waterfront attraction.
Cambria, California
Cambria concentrates its holiday programming around the Cambria Christmas Market at Cambria Pines Lodge and a village-centered weekend called Holidays in Cambria Village, creating a pair of complementary experiences for visitors. The Cambria Christmas Market runs most nights from late November to Christmas, and features over three million lights across the lodge. The market also hosts nightly live music on a scheduled roster, cozy fire pits for visitors to warm up at, and a children’s holiday train ride that circles the illuminated grounds. On the first weekend of December, the Cambria Chamber of Commerce stages Holidays in Cambria Village, a free community event with a Gingerbread House competition, a formal tree lighting with Santa Claus, flash-mob performances, and a complimentary trolley that shuttles guests between Main Street shops and the market site.
Mendocino, California
Mendocino’s downtown is framed by bluffs and a pocket harbor, presenting an active holiday calendar that is built around classic music, historic museums, and garden lighting. The Mendocino Music Festival Chorale, a 27-voice festival chorale, sings seasonal classics during their holiday concerts inside Mendocino Presbyterian Church, which is followed by a community reception next door. Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens hosts evening lighting displays from Friday to Sunday, called the Festival of Lights, which features a 100% original light show, including imaginative displays created by the staff and volunteers of the gardens. Partners Gallery hosts a holiday craft show that brings together a variety of artisanal items perfect for gift-giving, while also featuring Mendocino Coast Furniture Makers and their collection of small wooden gifts. The Kelley House Museum hosts several holiday activities throughout the season, chief among them is a visit with Santa to snap a picture and create a lasting memory.
Cannon Beach, Oregon
Cannon Beach centers its holiday activity on Haystack Holidays, an official program that begins with a lamp-lighting ceremony in Sandpiper Square, followed by scheduled concerts, a children’s Holiday Story Time by the fireplace at the Cannon Beach Public Library, and mid-month visits with Santa. The library also hosts an afternoon holiday tea that includes cookies, cider, and a raffle for an annual quilt drawing. Haystack Holidays hosts holiday caroling on specific Saturday nights, a lamp-lighting countdown, and local gallery openings tied to the festival weekend. Visitors can take guided tidepool walks at Haystack Rock during daylight hours, attend a wreath-making workshop at the Chamber Community Hall, and browse the Tolovana Arts Colony Holiday Bazaar for locally-made arts, crafts, and gifts for the loved ones in your life.
Newport, Oregon
Newport stages a well-known Yaquina Bay Lighted Boat Parade, typically held on the first Saturday of December, where decorated skiffs and fishing vessels glide along the bay, and passengers and shoreline spectators gather at specific viewing piers. Downtown visitors can time a dinner along the Newport Bayfront to watch the parade from restaurant windows, then join a Holiday Artisans Market at Local Ocean Seafoods on the Bay Boulevard.
Immediately following the boat parade, Newport hosts a Christmas Tree Lighting in front of Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World of Adventure. Continue exploring Newport by taking in holiday programming, such as the Tidings of Comfort and Joy choral concert at the Newport Performing Arts Center, or visiting the Newport Visual Arts Center for a viewing of their three galleries, which feature new and experimental artists, coastal artists, and rotating exhibits.
Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend leverages its strong small business community to ring in the holiday season. The Port Townsend Main Street program hosts a Merchant Winter Window Contest that rewards, encourages, and recognizes merchants for decorating their windows for the upcoming season. The holiday season in Port Townsend kicks off with Small Business Saturday at the end of November, where locals can get a head start on holiday shopping and connect more deeply to their community by supporting business owners in town. The town’s holiday promotions are centered on “Let it Glow - Mega Merriment in PT!” that hosts a full day of activities: Santa visits at Pope Marine Park, a community tree lighting with Santa at Haller Fountain, concluding with a parade to the American Legion, all while Wild Rose Choral carols through downtown.
Friday Harbor, Washington
Friday Harbor on San Juan Island concentrates its holiday activity in downtown Spring Street and at Brickworks. This converted industrial space hosts the Old-Fashioned Christmas Market during San Juan Island Winterfest, a celebration of the area’s best holiday events. The Islands Artisans Holiday Market begins at the San Juan County Fairgrounds and functions as a fundraiser for scholarships directed at young artists in the community. Following that, a tree lighting ceremony can be found at the Wells Fargo Round About, and the San Juan Singers host a holiday concert that’s sure to generate some yuletide cheer. During the daytime, stroll down Spring Street for a shopping experience that includes a wide range of boutiques, galleries, cafes, jewelry stores, and more. A visit to The Whale Museum supports the stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem. It is a terrific opportunity to be introduced to the whales of the Pacific Northwest.
Celebrate The Coast This Holiday Season
From California’s Danish villages to Washington’s maritime harbors, the Pacific Coast’s festive downtowns capture the warmth and creativity of the region’s holiday season. Solvang’s Julefest glows with Danish-style markets and candlelight tours, while Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey light up Ocean Avenue and Cannery Row with parades, concerts, and historic home tours. On the Central Coast, Cambria’s Christmas Market dazzles with millions of lights, and Mendocino’s bluffs shine during the handmade Festival of Lights. North of California, Oregon’s Cannon Beach and Newport celebrate with coastal parades and community teas, while Port Townsend and Friday Harbor in Washington close the season with old-fashioned markets, island lights, and choral performances.
